Morocco's state general budget suffered a deficit of 15.7 billion DH (1.49 billion dollars) in the July-December 2000 period, at a time forecasts had put the deficit at 1.57 billion, reported the Maghreb Arab Presse agency (MAP).
Ordinary receipts totaled 43.3 billion DH, a decline of 22.3 percent compared to the corresponding period of 1999, buoyed by the sale of the second GSM license, said MAP.
If these exceptional returns are not counted, the decline would stand at 3.5 percent between (July-December 1999) and (July-December 2000).
Ordinary expenses increased by 0.9 percent, from 42.5 billion DH in the second half of 1999 to 43 billion DH in the same period of 2000, the agency added.
The increase is mainly ascribed to higher subsidy expenses and external public debt servicing which grew respectively by 27.9 percent and 3.3, MAP added -- Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
